Suspected Iranian hackers reportedly breached a senior US Space Force official’s Instagram account and temporarily posted a string of pro-Iran and anti-US posts, including videos, on Sunday.A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the hack to CNN but did not answer questions about how long the hacked content was displayed. (Representational)According to a report by CNN, some of the posts on Chief Master Sergeant John Bentivegna’s account also invoked the Vietnam War. The report added that one of the videos used an audio from a late Vietnamese radio personality, Thu Hương, better known as Hanoi Hannah, telling US soldiers to “leave a sinking ship.” The video also featured images of late Iranian security official Ali Larijani, who was killed weeks into the US-Israel-Iran war.In a Facebook post Sunday night, Bentivegna, the top enlisted guardian in the Space Force, advised his colleagues not to click any links or engage with videos posted by his account.“We are working with the appropriate teams to regain access and resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” Bentivegna said.Also read: ‘You are f**king crazy’: Trump lashes out at Netanyahu in call over Lebanon escalationA Space Force spokesperson confirmed the hack to CNN but did not answer questions about how long the hacked content was displayed on Bentivegna’s account or who was responsible for the incident.The Space Force, created by US President Donald Trump in his first term, has been credited with playing a significant role in Washington’s military operations against Iran. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, credited the force with using “non-kinetic effects” to hamper Iran’s defences when the US began bombing Iran on February 28.Not the first timeIt is not the first time that accounts of US military personnel have been hacked during the current conflict with Iran. In fact, US military leaders have repeatedly warned their troops that their phones and online accounts could be targets during the war.US Central Command (CENTCOM), which leads the US war in Iran, recently told lawmakers that it had “received multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil US personnel in theatre.”Several US Marine Corps personnel, civilian employees and their families received text messages from a group of suspected Iranian hackers in late April. The US Navy at the time called these messages “unsubstantiated” threats.According to CNN, one threatening message said, “Your identities are fully known to our missile units, and every move you make is under our surveillance.”In March, Iranian hackers breached the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel and leaked some of his old photos and emails.The hack of Bentivegna’s Instagram account is only the latest front in the propaganda battles that have been a feature of the US war with Iran.The Iran-US propaganda warThe US-Iran war has featured propaganda from both sides using social media and new-age videos.While CENTCOM, the White House and even Donald Trump have shared videos of US strikes in Iran with action music in the background, Iran’s Lego-style videos and comic social media posts have gone viral all over the world.The Lego-themed videos have primarily mocked Trump, defence secretary Pete Hegseth and the US war effort.The White House and US Central Command have released edited videos of military strikes that, for many observers, have evoked video games like Call of Duty.
Hackers breach US Space Force official's Instagram, share pro-Iran posts
According to a report by CNN, some of the posts on Chief Master Sergeant John Bentivegna’s account also invoked the Vietnam War. | World News











